Needle motion for axminster looms



June 3, 1930. o. v. PAYNE NEEDLE MOTION FOR AXMINSTER LOC'MS Filed June 8, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l f/n/mfor 0560/" VF /2e 10116.3, 1930. o v, PAYNE 1,761,277 v NEEDLE MOTION FOR AXMINSTER LOOMS Filed June 8, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 0x0)" Vila m- Patented June 3, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT Fries OSCABwV. PAYNE, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNC-E T0 CROMPTON .86 KNOWLE$ LOOM "WORKS, 0F WORCESTER, IvIASS-AGEUSETTS, A GQRIPQRATISN 035 MASSACHUSETTS Application filed June 8, 1928.

This invention relates to improvements in needle motions for rlxminster looms and it is the general object of the invention to provide a needle motion for wide Axminster looms wherein the driving member is constantly driven and is so connected to the needle as to produce dwells in the motion of the needle when it is out of the shed.

In Arminsler looms it has been customary heretofore to employ as driving mechanism for the weft laying needle a segmental gear and pinion which act intern'iittently to move the needle into and out of theshed. The pinion remains idle or at rest during a portion of the moving oi the driving segment therefor and in this way the needle is kept at rest when out of theshed a sufficient length of time to permit the lay to move l or ardly to beat in the filling. In. such motions, however, the stopping and starting of the needle mechanism, which is necessarily heavy, results in considerable jarring, leading to misadjustments and wearing. It is an important object or my present invention to provide a constantly moving actuator for the needle and to proportion the connections between the needle and the actuator so as to produce a considerable retarding of the motion of the needle, which in effect amounts to a dwell when-the needle is out of the shed. c

'1 he'ordinary Axminster loom has a selvage shuttle which passes through the double pick of filling when the needle is entirely in the shed. provide a slight dwell in the motion of the needle to afford time for the selvage shuttle to pass throughthe loom and it is a further object of my invention to provide connections between the source of power and the needle moving elements which Will insure a slight dwell in the motion of the needle sutlicient to accommodate the selvage shuttle. By means of the connections shown hereinafter 1 am able to provide dwells of differlengths in the motion of the needle, a considerable dwell occurring when I the needle is out oi? the shed. and a dwell or" less duration occurring while the needle is in the shed, both dwells being effected by connections It is necessary to NEEDLE MOTION FOR AXMINSTER- LOOME:

S erial 1%. 283,982.

from actuating mechanism which moves constantly.

With these and other objects in View which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts hereii'iafter described and set forth in the claims.

. In the accompanying drawings wherein one form of my invention is shown,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary front elevation of a portion of an Amninster loom having the needle motion applied thereto, the parts being indicated with the needle in the shed, and r 1 Figs. 2 and 3 are diagrammatic views showing the motion for its two extreme positions and indicating the dwells for slowing up of the motion to permit the needle to remain substantially at rest at its extreme in and out positions.

Referring particularly to Fig. 1, I have indicated a loom frame 10 which. supports an arcuate rack 11 formed on part of an arm 12 pivoted at 13. 'l. he rack 11 meshes with a pinion ll which is fastened to a shaft 15 on which is mounted. the rope drum 16. A needle actuating cable 17 is wrapped around said drum and is given reciprocating movements by the latter the same rocks first in one direction and then in the other. The cable extends around inner and outer sheaves 18 and 19, respectively, and is operatively connected to the needle carrier 20 which slides along needle rail 21. The needle is connected to its carriage 20 and has in the left end thereof as viewed in Fig. 1 an eye 23 through which the weft W extends.

A shuttle race Ell located on that side of the loom opposite the drum 16 receives a shuttle, not shown, which passes underthe needle and through the reduced portion 25 thereof to interlace the weft W with a warp thread not shown, this matter being commen and being set forth more.particularly in patent to Robertson No. 1,651,549. The shaft as set forth in. said patent oscillates to actuate the shuttle and nmst rocl: when the shuttle is in the position shown in Fig. 1.

The sheave 19 may be mounted on a lever 27 pivoted as at 9.8 to fixed structure and having a weight 29 which tends to move the sheave 19 to the right as viewed in Fig. 1. A pawl 30 pivoted to the rail as at 31 en gages the ratchet 32 on the lever 27 to withstand the strain to which the sheave 19 is subjected when the needle is moved into the shed.

A crank arm 33 is secured to a cross shaft 34 and there is secured to the latter a beveled pinion The matter thus far described, with the exception of the form. of pinion 35, is of common construction and forms no part of my present invention.

As previously stated, certain features of my present improvements relate to mechanism for permitting the use of a constantly moving actuator together with intermediate connections between the actuator and the rack 11 so designed and proportioned as to give the needle the desired retardation when the latter is out of the shed to permit the lay to beat up. In carrying this feature of my invention into effect I provide a driving bevel gear 50 which is actuated by a constantly moving driving shaft 51. Said gear 50 is continuous in that it has teeth extending around the entire periphery thereof and said teeth mesh with the bevel pinion 35 so as to cause a continuous and preferably uniform motion on the part of the crank arm 33. In previous constructions it has been customary to employ a driving gear having spaced segments of teeth and to employ a pinion so constructed as to be rocked during a portion of the rotation of the shaft 51 and to remain at rest during other portions of the rotation of the shaft.

The crank arm 33 has attached thereto as at 52 a comparatively short link 53 the left end of which as viewed in Fig. 1 is connectedl as at 54 to the upper right hand end of a rocking arm 55. The latter rocks about a stud 56 which is supported by a bracket or stand 57 held to the loom frame by a pair of bolts 58. Said bolts extend through slots 59 formed in the feet 60 of the bracket 57 and in this way the vertical position of the stud 56 may be varied. It is to be understood that the stud 13 and shaft 34 define fixed pivots for the respective parts associ ated therewith.

The upper left hand end of the arm is provided with a stud 61 on which is pivoted the right end of the second link 62, the left end of which has pivotal connection with a stud 63. The latter is held to the member 12 and is located in a slot 64 which permits radial adjustment of the stud 63 with respect to the stud or axis 13.

The link 53 may be made slightly longer than the distance between the centers of shaft 34 and stud 52. and with respect to the stud 56 there is an angular distance between the studs 54 and 61, so that although these two studs move at uniform speeds around the axis of the arm yet they will be moving at different horizontal rates of speed in a direction toward and from the rocking member 12.

In operation, the bevel gear 50 receives continuous rotation so as to effect a continuous angular movement on the part of arm 33 in the direction indicated by arrow A. By reason of this motion the link 53 will move from the full line to the dotted line position in Fig. 2 to cause alignment of the centers of shaft 34 and studs 52 and 54. Under this condition the rack 11 will be in its extreme left position to cause the needle to move to the position shown in Fig. 1. As the arm 33 continues to rotate in a right hand direction it will assume the full line position shown in Fig, 3 and will then pass first to the dotted line and then to the dot and dash line position shown in said figure. Because of the lengths of arm 33 and link 53 there will be very little motion on the part of the arm 55 while the arm 33 is moving from the full line to the dot and dash line position in Fig. 3. The actual amount of dwell can be determined partly by the lengths of the arm and link 53. These two members of course cannot be of the same length otherwise stud 54 would be in alignment with the axis of shaft 34 and there would therefore be no motion imparted to the arm 55, but by making one of the two members of a different length than the other the amount of dwell can be varied, within limits, as desired.

It should be noted that the substantial dwell on the part of the member 12, which may take place during one quarter of the revolution of the shaft 34, occurs at a time when the needle is out of the shed or in the other extreme position from that shown in Fig. 1.

As previously stated, the needle must have a momentary dwell when in the position shown in Fig. 1 to permit proper interlacing of the selvage warp with the weft \V. This slight dwell is brought about by reason of the fact that stud 61 is spaced angularly from stud 54 and because of this arrangement moves in a horizontal direction at a slower rate of speed than does the stud 54 when the needle is nearing the end of its inserting stroke. This will be apparent from a consideration of the fact that the angular motion of the studs 54 and 61 may be resolved into vertical and horizontal components and the horizontal component of the stud 61 will necessarily be less than that of stud 54.

I find that a variation in the motion of the rack 11 may be effected by a vertical adjustment of the axis of the arm 55 and it is for this reason that I have provided means for moving the bracket 57 which supports the stud 56 in a direction toward and from the shaft 34.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a very simple motion for the needle of an Axminster loom wherein the actuating element has a continuous motion andwherein the links and connections therefor are so proportioned that a substan tial retardation which may in eifect amount to a dwell on the part of the movement of the needle may be brought about dln'inga large part of the angular movement of the actuating element. It will further be seen that by effecting an angular displacement between the studs 54 and 61 that a dwell may be brought about in the motion of the needle when the latter is in the shed and cooperating with the salvage shuttle. Furthermore, by providing for an adjustment on the part of the stud 56 I may get a still further variation in the bevel of the needle and the rates of its motion both when going into and when moving out of the shed with respect to the motion of the driving arm 33.

Having thus described my invention it will be seen that changes and modifications may be made therein by those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention and I do not Wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, but what I claim is:

1. In a needle motion for an Axminster loom, a needle, a rotatable drum, means to cause the needle and drum to move in unison, an oscillatable segment operatively connected to the drum to cause the latter to rotate first in one direction and then in the other, a continuously and uniformly rotating crank arm, a pair of links one connected to the crank arm and the other connected to the segment, and movable means to support both of said links and produce a re tardation in motion of the segment aside from that which is caused by the motion of the crank arm.

2. In a needle motion for an Axminster loom, a needle, a rotatable drum, means to cause thcneedle and drum to move in unison, an oscillatable segment operatively connected to the drum to cause the latter to rotate first in one direction and then in the other, a constantly and uniformly rotating crank arm, a rocking member, and a pair of links one connecting the crank arm and said rocking member and the other connecting said rocking member and the segment to cause a retardation in the movement of the segment in addition to that caused by the. crank arm.

3. In a needle motion for an Axminster loom, a needle, a rotatable drum, means to cause the needle and drum to move in unison, an oscillatable segment operatively connected to the drum to cause the latter to rotate first in one direction and then in the segment in addition to that caused by the crank arm, said links being connected, to the rocking member at different points.

4. In a needle motion for an'AXminster loom, a needle, a rotatable drum, means to cause the needle and drum to move in un1- son, an oscillatable segment operatively connected to the drum to cause the latter-to rotate first in one direction and then in the other, a constantlyv and uniformly rotating crank arm, a rocking member movable'about a center other than the centers of the arm and segment, and a pair of links one connecting the crank arm and said rocking member and the other connecting said rocking member and the segment to cause a retardation in the movement of the segment in addition to that caused by the crank, said links being connected to the rocking member at different points, one of which is normally below the other. V

5. Ina needle motion for an Axminster loom, a needle, a rotatable drum, means to cause the needle and drum to move in unison, an oscillatable segment operatively con;

nected to the drum to cause the latter torotate first in one direction and then in the other, a constantly and uniformly rotating crank arm, a rocking member, and a pair of links one connecting the crank arm and said rocking member and the other connecting said rocking member and the segment to cause a retardation inthe movement of the segment in addition to that caused by the crank arm, and means to vary the axis of said rocking member relatively to the axis of the crank arm.. I g I 6. In a needle motion for an Axminster loom, aneedle, a rotatable drum, means to cause the needle and drum to move in unison, an oscillatable segment operatively connected to the drum tocause the latter to 1'0- tate first in onedirection and then in the other, a constantly and uniformly rotating crank arm, a rocking member, and a pair of links one connecting the crank arm and said rocking member and the other connecting said rocking member and the segment to cause a retardation in the movement of the segment in addition to that caused by the crank arm, and means to vary the axis of the rocking member toward and from a line joining the center of the crank arm and the point of connection between the segment and the link attached thereto.

7 In a needle motion for an Axminstcr loom, a needle to be inserted into and Withdrawn from the shed, a rotatable drum, means to cause the needle and drum to move in unison, an oscillatable segment operatively connected to the drum to cause the latter to rotate first in one direction to move the needle into the shed and then in the other direction to move the needle out of the shed, a constantly rotating crank arm, connections including rigid elements only between said arm and the oscillating segment to cause the latter to move back and forth and to cause a retardation in the movement of the needle as the latter nears the end of its inward movement, and an additional device in the connections to cause a further retardation in the movement of the needle as the latter moves toward the end of its inward stroke and as the arm continues to rotate.

8. In a needle motion for an AXminster loom, a needle to be inserted and withdrawn from the shed, a rotatable drum, means to cause the needle and drum to move in unison, an oscillatable segment operatively connected to the drum to cause the latter to rotate first in one direction to move the needle into the shed and then in the other direction to move the needle out of the shed, a constantly and uniformly rotating crank arm, connections between the arm and the segment to cause the latter to oscillate as the arm rotates and cause a retardation in the movement of the needle as the latter nears the end of its inward movement, and means in the connections movable about a fixed axis to cause an additional retardation of the needle independent of the retarding caused by the crank arm, as the needle moves toward the end of its inward stroke.

9. In a needle motion for an Axminster loom, a needle to be inserted and withdrawn from the shed, a rotatable drum, means to cause the needle and drum to move in unison, an oscillatable segment operatively connected to the drum to cause the latter to rotate first in one direction to move the needle into the shed and then in the other direction to move the'needle out of the shed, a constantly and uniformly rotating crank arm, a connector attached to the segment, a second connector attached to the crank arm, a link connected at one end to one connector and at the other end to the other connector, and means to cause the link to rotate about an axis as the crank arm moves to lessen the distance between the crank arm and segment to cause a retardation in the movement of the latter.

10. In a needle motion for an AXminst-er loom, a needle to be inserted and withdrawn from the shed, a rotatable drum, means to cause the needle and drum to move in unison, an oscillatable segment operatively connected to the drum to cause the latter to rotate first in one direction to move the needle into the shed and then in the other direction to move the needle out of the shed, a constantly and uniformly rotating crank arm,

a connector attached to the segment, a second connector pivotally attached to the crank arm, a rockable element pivoted to the first connector at one point and pivoted to the other connector at another point spaced in the direction of the distance between the OSCAR V. PAYNE. 

